Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research

ABSTRACT Coal’s extensive use releases environmentally significant trace elements. This study investigates the occurrence and distribution of trace elements in coal from the Talcher and Ib Valley coalfields. Ten environmentally sensitive elements (Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Ba, Sr and Pb) were examined, with Cr (306.69 mg/kg) and Ni (144.61 mg/kg) showing the highest average concentrations, followed by Ba (42.05 mg/kg) and Mn (17.95 mg/kg), while the remaining elements occur at <10 mg/kg. Enrichment factor analysis indicates a strong enrichment of Cr (3.06) and Ni (1.79) relative to the upper crustal levels, and the concentration coefficients show notable enrichment of Cr (18), Ni (10.3) and Mn (4.7) compared to world-coal averages. Sequential chemical extraction reveals that most elements (Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) are predominantly acid-soluble, while Ni (64.6%) and Ba (33.9%) are mainly silicate-bound, and Sr shows mixed silicate (25.4%) and pyritic (25.9%) affinity. A conceptual risk map was developed based on geochemical fractions, mobility, and toxicity. The ranking shows that Cd, Pb, Cr and Ni fall within the high-risk tier. Overall, the study delivers a quantitative, multiphase characterization of trace-element modes of occurrence, integrating sequential extraction with statistical correlations, and offers improved insight into environmental risk.

Air pollution poses a significant public health risk, as pollutants, emitted from both natural and anthropogenic sources, can penetrate deep into the respiratory system, leading to a wide range of respiratory diseases. While numerous studies have examined the role of meteorological factors in modulating air quality, limited research has focussed specifically on their effectiveness in regions characterized by intensive mineral extraction activities, particularly coal mining zones where emission loads remain persistently high. In this context, the concentration levels of PM10, PM2.5, SO2, and NO2 were continuously monitored for one year using an automated ambient air quality monitoring system to investigate their seasonal behaviour and meteorological interactions. The recorded concentration ranged from 17.49 to 393.40µg/m3 for PM10, 5.45 to 231.53µg/m3 for PM2.5, 12.3 to 62.05µg/m3 for NO2, and 11.59 to 182µg/m3 for SO2. The pollutant concentrations peaked during winter and declined during summer and monsoon seasons. The trend analysis using Theil-Sen estimator revealed significant negative trends for all four pollutants PM10 (-181.79 units), PM2.5 (-106.11 units), SO2 (-22.76 units), and NO2 (-29.89 units). The linear regression analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between PM10 and PM2.5 (R2 = 0.89), whereas a weak association (R2 = 0.01) was observed between NO2 and SO2. Nonlinear regression further indicated temperature as a key influencing factor, showing a strong inverse relationship with NO2 (-13.218) and a moderate negative impact on PM2.5 (-1.517). Overall, the findings of this study underscore highlight the seasonal vulnerability of coal mining regions to pollutant accumulation and highlights the limitations of mechanisms under elevated emission scenarios. Furthermore, this study establishes temperature as a boundary-layer control variable and emphasizes that effective air-quality management in coal-mining regions must integrate real-time meteorological forecasting with emission scheduling for sustainable air-quality compliance.

The design of multifunctional materials that unify energy storage and environmental sensing is vital for next-generation flexible electronics and IoT devices.

Metallic element (ME) contamination in urban road dust poses critical environmental and health challenges, particularly in Dhanbad, eastern India, representing one of the most intensively coal-mining-impacted urban regions in India, with over 112 active and abandoned mines, extensive overburden dumps, and widespread coal transportation corridors. This study systematically analyzed 44 composite road dust samples to quantify multiple MEs. Spatial interpolations, various geochemical indices, integrated Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF)- human health risk (HHR) framework based on Monte Carlo simulation was applied to comprehend the risk assessment. Excluding Al, all MEs exceeded their background value. Geochemical indices revealed moderate to very high contamination levels, particularly from Cd, As, and Cr. Spatial interpolation maps highlighted that coal mining zones, overburden dumps, and traffic-dense corridors, were the most polluted sites, prevailing in the central and NW-SE directions. Four major source factors of pollution were identified as mixed sources (F1), coal mining operations (F2), automotive and industrial emissions (F3), and lithogenic/overburden rock (F4). Multivariate statistical analyses further corroborated the findings of PMF. The integrated PMF-HHR framework, coupled with Monte Carlo simulation, revealed substantial non-carcinogenic (NCR) and carcinogenic risks (CR) for both adults and children. F2 followed by F3 were the predominant contributors to human health risks. Overall, the integrated PMF-HHR framework effectively linked source contributions to quantified health outcomes, providing a reliable tool for source-oriented risk management and mitigation in coal mining-affected urban environments.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are mostly toxic compounds tied with strong molecular bonds. Benzo[a]pyrene is the most toxic PAH found naturally and anthropogenically in the soil. PAHs are structurally complex and require cautious handling due to their noxious effect on the environment. PAH contamination in the environment, particularly soil, is a proven oncogenic agent as it enters the body through the food chain. They are bonded strongly with the soil depending on their nature, texture, available organic carbon, nitrogen, pH, temperature, and moisture. Out of these, texture is the most important. Clayey soil binds PAHs the most, and sandy soil the least. Many PAHs are not easily degraded and remain persistent and are liable to enter the living system through multiple modes like aerial, dermal, and food through numerous signaling pathways, posing a great risk to human health. Multiple health effects are reported, e.g., mutagenic, cardiovascular, eye, liver, kidney, and neural systems, etc., which may occur due to short- or long-term exposure to PAHs. Cancer is the most prevalent disease reported in history. Ample methods are applied for PAHs degradation in the soil. Biodegradation by microbial communities is the most recommended option, but is slow and costly. Therefore, technological intermix is the preferred choice depending on the nature of the substrate and the limits desired, e.g., degradation of phenanthrene, anthracene, and benzo[a] pyrene increased from 68% to 92–96% by nano-zero-valent iron combined with white rot fungi Peniophora incarnata. Study on PAHs remediation and its health effect in the soil environment is of paramount importance considering its severity.